Low-temperature Scanning Probe Microscope Controller upgrade for multimodal 2D materials investigation

二维材料领域的两个最新进展已经突破了这些材料和异质结构的材料相空间：1）发现许多“分层”材料可以以类似于石墨烯的方式剥离，以及2）发现层之间的小扭转角可以通过将电子的动能淬灭到相互作用尺度来产生丰富的电子相图。从这个广阔的二维材料空间中，人们已经观察和预测了独特的光学性质、拓扑行为、超导性等。由于这些材料和器件的2D性质自然地集成到我们现有的电子和光子器件的2D光刻平台中，因此人们对探索这些材料的令人兴奋的物理特性以及将这些材料推向量子信息和传感等应用都有很大的兴趣。 在这里，我们要求对现有的低温扫描探针显微镜（SPM）进行控制器升级，该显微镜已经集成了光谱学功能，以便研究二维材料中缺陷的光电发射特性和电子散射特性。这种升级是必要的，以支持正在进行的最先进的工作，该仪器是由于老化的控制器系统，以及支持新的集成设备为中心的二维材料的测量能力。新的控制器将实现更大的测量灵活性，集成外部硬件，如用于隧道发光测量的光谱仪，并允许优化用于确定局域态密度和准粒子干涉测量（QPI）的空间分辨隧道光谱测量的信噪比。这些能力将使我们能够研究单缺陷量子发射态，以阐明发射中心的身份，发射过程，以及与体态的相互作用。改进的QPI功能还将使我们能够研究缺陷散射中的相互作用和拓扑驱动的选择规则，探测这些材料中电子的基本物理特性，并连接到电阻和磁阻等体特性。这些测量需要高稳定性的仪器和与外部测量的集成;所要求的控制器将确保通过升级现有的电子设备和软件来满足这些需求，以增强现有的功能，强大的基础硬件代表约100万美元的资产。 我们能够识别单个缺陷，探测电子状态，结构和亚纳米分辨率的光学特性，以及通过制造和门控控制潜在的电子状态，这将使我们能够探索和设计新的量子发射器和新型电子材料，并将它们集成到未来技术的设备平台中。

Two recent developments in the area of 2-dimensional materials have exploded the materials phase space of these materials and heterostructures: 1) the discovery that many “layered” materials can be exfoliated in a manner similar to graphene, and 2) the discovery that small twist angles between layers can give rise to rich electronic phase diagrams by quenching kinetic energy of the electrons down to interaction scales. From this vast 2D materials space, there have been observations and predictions of unique optical properties, topological behavior, superconductivity and more. As the 2D nature of these materials and devices naturally integrates into our existing 2D lithographic platforms for electronic and photonic devices, there is substantial interest in both exploring the exciting physics of these materials, as well as pushing these materials forwards into applications like quantum information and sensing. Here, we request a controller upgrade for an existing low-temperature scanning probe microscope (SPM) with already integrated optical spectroscopy capabilities, in order to study the optoelectronic emission characteristics and electronic scattering properties of defects in 2D materials. This upgrade is necessary both to support the ongoing state-of-the-art work this instrument is capable of due to an aging controller system, as well as support novel integrated device-centered measurements of 2D materials. The new controller will enable greater measurement flexibility, integration of external hardware, such as the optical spectrometer used for tunneling luminescence measurements, and allow optimization of signal to noise for spatially resolved tunneling spectroscopy measurements used to determine the local density of states and quasiparticle interference measurements (QPI). These capabilities will allow us to investigate single defect quantum emitter states to elucidate the identity of the emission centers, emission processes, and interaction with bulk states. The improved QPI capabilities will also allow us to investigate interaction and topologically driven selection rules in defect scattering, probing both the fundamental physics of the electrons in these materials and connecting to bulk properties like resistance and magnetoresistance. These measurements require high stability instrumentation and integration with external measurements; the requested controller will ensure that these needs are met by upgrading the existing electronics and software to enhance the capabilities of the existing, robust base hardware representing a ~$1M asset. Our ability to identify individual defects, and probe the electronic states, structure, and sub-nm resolved optical properties, as well as control the underlying electronic states through fabrication and gating, will allow us to to explore and engineer new quantum emitters and novel electronic materials and integrate them into device platforms for future technologies.